The Story of Ruby Bridges

Title: The Story of Ruby Bridges
Author: Robert Coles
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Copyright: 1995 by Robert Coles
Pages: 32 Pages
Ages: 4-8
Genre: Non-Fiction

Summary:
Ruby Bridges was born in Mississippi. She and her family were very very poor. Her father’s job was to pick crops, but he lost his job. When Ruby turned 4 she and her family moved. In 1957 they moved to New Orleans. Her father worked all day as a janitor while her mother watched the children. Then at night her mother would scrub floors at the local bank. The family would go to church every Sunday.
When Ruby was 6 years old she was sent to school with white children. Her parents were very proud of her and they prayed for her at church. On her first day of school an angry mob is there to greet her. They did not want a black child to attend the school where their children attend.
The President of the United States sends U.S. Marshals to escort Ruby to school for her protection. The mob stays for months terrorizing Ruby. She would experience their hateful remarks everyday. When Ruby would walk to school, she would start by walking slowly and then when she reached the crowd she would speed up and go through the front doors without saying a word. She attended school for months alone, with only her teacher. She began learning to read and write and progressed quickly. Her teacher, Mrs. Henry was curious to how Ruby was really feeling. One day Mrs. Henry watched Ruby stop in the middle of the mob standing completely still. It looked like she was talking to the mob. The Marshal’s tried to get Ruby to move along but she wouldn’t budge. Then she suddenly walked inside. When Ruby arrived in the classroom Mrs. Henry asked her why she stopped to talk to the mob. Ruby replied that she didn’t, she was praying for them. Everyday on her way to school she would pray for them, but that day she had forgotten until she was among the crowd. She said her prayer twice a day, before and after school.

Recommendations:
I would recommend this book to everyone. I think everyone needs to know what has happened in the past, the good and the bad.

Potential Problems:
This could be potentially problematic for parents who don’t want their children to know about racism and that people could want to hurt children. It’s a touchy subject and needs to be handled with care.

My Reaction:
I thought that this book handled the topic very well. It was true, but it wasn’t scary. It showed what happened and was able to clearly describe that way things were back then. It’s also nice that it’s a book with the child as a hero.